Name: Makhani gravy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Ingredients: 60 g butter, half for sautéing, half to finish; 2 g cardamom, whole, lightly crushed (about 4 pods); 1 g cloves, whole (about 4); 2 g cinnamon stick, whole, a 5 cm piece; 0.5 g bay leaves, whole, 1 leaf; 15 g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped; 15 g garlic, peeled (about 5 cloves); 800 g tomato, ripe, roughly chopped (about 8); 40 g cashews, soak in hot water for 20 minutes, then drain; 6 g kashmiri chilli powder, bloom in the butter; 250 g water, to boil with the tomatoes; 8 g salt, boil with the tomatoes; 8 g sugar, blend in at the end, to balance the tomatoes; 2 g dried fenugreek leaves, crush between the palms

Makhani gravy

Vegetarian

मखनी ग्रेवी · makhanī grevī

The silky tomato-butter-cashew gravy of butter chicken and paneer makhani: ripe tomatoes simmered with cashews, ginger, garlic, whole spices and Kashmiri chilli, blended and strained, then finished with more butter, kasuri methi and a touch of sugar. Cream goes in when you finish the dish.

Makhani gravy is a Punjabi sauce from India, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with butter, tomato and cashews. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

About this dish

Origin

Delhi, India · Commonly attributedMakhani gravy is credited to Moti Mahal in Delhi (late 1940s), where leftover tandoori chicken was simmered in tomato and butter; restaurant versions vary. This is a home adaptation without cream, so it freezes well.Also popular in United Kingdom, PakistanMore food from India

Dish

Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes

Cooking method

Simmered, Blended

Taste

buttery, tangy, creamy, sweet & savoury

Diet

Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Low-carb

All labels

Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb

Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work

Good for

Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Batch cooking

Cook more with

Butter · Tomato · Cashews · Dried fenugreek leaves · Cardamom · Cloves

Techniques

Boiling · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Nutrition

225 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 215 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 7%
Carbohydrate 28%
Fat 65%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	225 kcal	105 kcal
Protein	4.4 g	2.1 g
Carbohydrate	16.8 g	7.8 g
Net carbohydrate	12.8 g	5.9 g
Sugars	8.1 g	3.8 g
Added sugars	2 g	0.9 g
Fibre	4.1 g	1.9 g
Fat	17.3 g	8 g
Saturated fat	8.6 g	4 g
Trans fat	0.5 g	0.2 g
Cholesterol	32 mg	15 mg
Sodium	887 mg	413 mg
Salt equivalent	2.2 g	1 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 623 mg
Calcium: 55 mg
Iron: 2 mg
Magnesium: 61 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 224 µg
Vitamin C: 29 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 35 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Kashmiri chilli powder: Paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: Kashmiri chilli is a mild, deep-red chilli powder used mainly for colour.
Dried fenugreek leaves: Fenugreek seed (FDC 171324) used as a stand-in for dried leaves; used in pinches.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

To finish: heat a portion, add 500 g grilled tandoori chicken or paneer, simmer 5 minutes and stir in 3–4 tbsp cream and ½ tsp garam masala off the boil.

Common mistakes

Skipping the sieve, which leaves the gravy grainy with tomato skins.
Boiling it hard once cream is added — it can split.

Serve with

Butter chicken, paneer makhani, and a spoonful into dal makhani.
Serve with naan, garlic butter naan or jeera rice.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for 3 months.

Reheating

Warm gently with a splash of water, stirring; add cream only when finishing the dish.

Variations

Restaurant makhani: Add 2 tbsp honey instead of sugar and finish with plenty of cream and a little white butter.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 2 Nov 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

About this masala

Type

Gravy base

Texture

Smooth gravy

One batch makes

about 860 g

Keeps

about 3 months

Store

Frozen in portions

Recipe

Traditional

Delhi. Makes Makhani gravy, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Butter chickenMade fresh in the recipe (simmered, blended and finished in steps 3–5 (ginger, garlic and chilli are shared with the marinade, so they are left out here)) · 605 g for 4 servingsMake enough

Butter chicken
Punjabi · 2 h 5 min · 559 kcal
Dal makhani
Punjabi · 2 h · 390 kcal · Vegetarian
Naan (home-oven method)
Indian · 3 h · 272 kcal · Vegetarian
Garlic butter naan (yeast-free, pan-cooked)
Indian · 1 h 35 min · 252 kcal · Vegetarian

Makhani gravy

Ingredients

Equipment

Method

About this dish

Allergens

Nutrition

Good to know